Another loss for Patriots

When new head coaches come to new cities in the NFL, it's rarely good news for the assistants.

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By Jonathan Comey

capecodtimes.com

By Jonathan Comey

Posted Jan. 24, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Jonathan Comey
Posted Jan. 24, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

When new head coaches come to new cities in the NFL, it's rarely good news for the assistants.

It's a rare assistant that keeps his job from one new boss to the next, and those who stay for different regimes are practically endangered.

But Dante Scarnecchia and the New England Patriots were a perfect match, and so he was a trusted assistant to six different head coaches — most notably to Bill Belichick, who not only kept Scarnecchia but promoted him to assistant head coach in his first season of 2000.

Scarnecchia unexpectedly retired Wednesday after 30 seasons as a New England coach; he'll be replaced by Dave DeGuglielmo.

"In whatever category a coach can be assessed — evaluator, teacher, motivator, problem-solver, disciplinarian, team player, winner — Dante is as good as it gets," Belichick said in a statement. "As many games as he helped us win and as much as we would like to work with Dante forever, we are blessed with the opportunity to have been with him as long as we were."

The only person to be working for all seven Super Bowl trips? Scarnecchia. The assistant head coach on one of the greatest 10-year windows of any franchise? Scarnecchia. The guy who coached 39 of the 43 playoff games in franchise history? Scarnecchia.

Scarnecchia seemed completely devoid of ego; he sought no spotlight, and got little. Small, lean, tough, he was a football lifer who knew how to communicate and motivate. In the place where "do your job" is serious business, few were more serious about theirs than Scarnecchia.

"For as long as I have known him, he was always the first to arrive in the morning and among the last to leave," owner Bob Kraft said in a statement. "He didn't demand respect from his players. He earned it."

And despite his low profile, Scarnecchia's offensive lines were so good, for so long, and his reputation was so good around the league, that everybody who really followed the game knew he was one of Belichick's secret weapons.

"I could never put into words the influence and impact that Scar had in my life, both personally and professionally." Dan Koppen said in a text message to NFL Network's Albert Breer. "And I am sure that is true for the countless players that he coached in his amazing coaching career. There is no question his presence will be missed in the Patriots organization. As players, we always knew Scar had our back, and that isn't always the case. He is a great man, coach and friend!"

Scarnecchia's move was a surprise, at least outside the team's inner circle, and probably inside it as well. His replacement, DeGuglielmo, had taken a job with Maryland less than a week ago, and certainly wouldn't have if he thought the Pats were going to come calling.

DeGuglielmo, a 45-year-old veteran of nine NFL seasons, comes with two strikes against him — he coached under Rex Ryan, and was an assistant on the Giants team that ruined New England's perfect season in 2007.

More importantly, he has some huge shoes to fill.

Losing Scarnecchia, a day after Pepper Johnson departed, must be a blow to Belichick — two more trusted friends and collaborators gone. It's also a reminder that the end of a football season also marks a true end to a lot of different ongoing situations.

New people come in, old relationships are dissolved, and the pursuit of a championship sets into motion hundreds of unpredictable events involving hundreds of different people.

But Dante Scarnecchia, for 30 years, was as predictable and reliable as they came. And while success is always on the horizon for this franchise, it won't be the same without him.

Jonathan Comey is sports and features editor for The Standard-Times. Email him at jcomey@s-t.com